News 07:00

BULLETIN 16 July 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA calls for the Special Investigation Unit to carry out lifestyle audits
# The National Prosecuting Authority wins leave to appeal the Timothy Omotoso acquittal
# And rugby: Aimee Barrett-Theron stands down to fight cancer

# The DA has urged president Cyril Ramaphosa to issue a proclamation authorising the Special Investigating Unit to work alongside the State Security Agency to conduct mandatory lifestyle audits across government, particularly within law enforcement and the criminal justice system. The Madlanga Commission has heard that only five of 823 senior SAPS leaders underwent lifestyle audits in five years. The DA’s Lisa Schickerling says the SIU needs to verify lifestyle audit findings, investigate unexplained wealth, and refer matters for prosecution:

# The Supreme Court of Appeal has granted the National Prosecuting Authority leave to appeal the acquittal of Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso and his two co-accused. The appeal will seek to overturn the decision by the High Court in Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape, to clear Omotoso and his two co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zukiswa Sitho of 32 charges including rape, human trafficking and racketeering. The NPA’s Kaizer Kganyago, says they welcome the ruling:

# Industry organisations Agri SA and Business Against Crime South Africa have signed a memorandum of understanding to improve rural crime and safety data. The partnership will use BACSA’s E2-Plus platform to collect, verify and analyse crime information, and support law enforcement and policymakers. Agri SA says better evidence is essential to protect food security, rural economies and communities. The organisations will also work with the South African Police Service, the Hawks and other stakeholders to strengthen coordinated responses to rural crime.

# KwaZulu-Natal premier Thamsanqa Ntuli says his government has responded to challenges through a whole-of-society approach aimed at restoring confidence, accelerating service delivery, and inspiring new hope. The challenges he cited include ongoing economic hardship, climate change-related disasters, and the impact of the July 2021 unrest. Ntuli says the province is showing signs of economic recovery, including securing 89-billion-rand in investment pledges in 2024, increasing to 101-billion-rand last year. He adds that there have also been improvements in public safety, with murders, sexual offences, and aggravated robberies declining.

# Outgoing British prime minister, Keir Starmer, says he is proud of everything he has achieved during his two-year tenure. He answered questions from lawmakers in the House of Commons for the last time yesterday. Starmer is due to hand over power to Andy Burnham on Monday, after the former Greater Manchester mayor is confirmed as Labour Party leader at a special conference on Friday. Starmer says he leaves the country in a better shape than he found it:

# Rugby: Record-breaking Test match referee, Aimee Barrett-Theron, has stepped away from officiating with immediate effect after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The 39-year-old South African is the most experienced female referee in rugby and has taken charge of 52 Test matches to date. She most recently took charge of the match between South Africa ‘A’ and Zimbabwe in Gqeberha last month. Barrett-Theron says she is determined to get through her treatment and recovery and return to the field stronger.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-35-cents and the euro at 18-rand-75-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-12-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-596-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-42-dollars-62-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-26-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….